all-new BMW 5 Series Touring driving REVIEW i5 M60
This is a driving review of the all-new BMW 5 Series Touring, and we have it in the so far strongest version next to the somewhat true M version that will come later. This one here, 600 horsepower in the M60. Launch control. Look at that. There's still something coming,
190. No matter which power train you go for, if combustion engine, diesel, or petrol, plug-in hybrid, or the all-electric one, we'll tell you all you need to know about the new 5 Series Touring here with Thomas and Autogefühl in 4K, full screen, full length. Let's go! Here with the front, this is then the i5 M60, and that has a somewhat closed grille. Here in the lower part, this is adaptive. It opens then on demand. M logo. Fire Red is the exterior color in this case, a very strong red, yeah, I really like it. And also then more black accentuations either if you have the M Sport package or then here automatically with the M60 version. Headlamps come optional
with the adaptive matrix LED, you can also see it right here. And this side here, these are the daytime running lights, in the middle part, the big ones are then the main headlamp units. And the length here has actually significantly changed to the previous generation, 10 centimeters or 4 inches more, now at 5 meters and 6 or 199 inches. Wheels, from 18 to maximum 21-inch, these here are the biggest one, 21-inch BMW individual, also, red brake calipers fitting to the exterior red color. Here also with carbon fiber side mirrors,
also a special option. And suspension-wise, you basically have four different choices, a normal suspension, fixed M suspension. And then adaptive suspensions professional that already includes a rear-axle steering that the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction in the front wheels for better maneuverability at lower speeds. And this adaptive suspension professional in an M style. This is then also standard here for the M60, so it has a sportier setup, and the latter one also, the adaptive suspension professional in the M style, adaptive M suspension professional.
This one also comes with an anti-tilt control, so the car remains more upright. And there's one more special thing. If you go for a plug-in hybrid version or an all-electric version, they all sit on the same platform, then, you also get rear-axle air suspension as standard. What they do not have
is an air suspension for both axles. That does not exist, even not optional, and in driving, we'll find out how it actually behaves because it's now fully adaptive, this one here, anti-roll control, and the air suspension at the rear axle, we see how it turns up in driving. Interesting signature here for the rear. That looks very beautiful, I think. And they have a very streamlined design that's also needed for aerodynamics. However,
if you want the best aerodynamics, you would not go for the M60 or not go for an M Sport pack, but rather a base because the M Sport design elements actually reduce the aerodynamic efficiency a little bit. We'll also find out more about that with consumption and so on later. Other than that, you have this diffuser style here in the lower part, a very clean design. And the M60 logo then here for this M performance model. And you see on the exterior they have on the one of this aerodynamic styling and then they want to have much space also on the interior when you open the trunk. And it's here at 570 liters no matter which
version you go for, actually. And the interesting thing is now with the previous generation, a lot of customers from the 5 Series Touring told me that you loved actually here the separate opening of the rear glass. That is gone now, and BMW told me that it would have caused some more exterior dimension, also space on the interior to add this mechanism. So, they said, yeah, we wanted to save this space. There's actually, you know,
as space as possible here in this area than for the whole trunk area. What I have to say, though, that material-wise, It's not that bad, but I would have wished something nicer here for the materials from the inside. And the second feature that is gone, you don't have this electric cover here of the trunk anymore. However, you see, it is, let's say, semi-adaptive here when I close the trunk, which by the way has a great closing sound. Listen
to that. That is beautiful, love that quality. And here, I pulled the cover all the way to the end and when I open this one in here, you see here, the first half, it goes automatic. That's like a mechanic automatic thing here like this. And when
you open it, it basically does this. And then you can easily load in things and out. Here, one more time, then it goes all the way like this. So, yeah, that's at least a nice mechanism. And
the width is enormous, like 115 in meters in the width or 45, around 46 inches. That's great. And the length here, you can see luggage fits in easily. 1 meters and 6 or 42 inches, that's really cool. And especially for all our dog owners, maybe with a dog box, 70 centimeters in height or 27 inches. And you also have this remote folding mechanism from here and that works very, very well, yeah. I really like that. Maybe you
want the full length here as well on Autogefühl, always in full length. For an estate, it's, of course, a very important thing, and this is also enormous to the seats I would be driving. It's, yeah, 186 or 73 inches, so that's really, really good. I like that versatile trunk. The thing is, yeah, with the separate glass opening, that was always a unique feature. The 3 Series Touring actually does have it. So, yeah, I think they could have actually kept that one.
Other entry... Oh, by the way, here, underneath, you still have some more space here, like this here, you know, this, and, you know, the separate cover that you can pull up here, for example. So, that's then here for the electric version. Let's close this one because there's, of course, more to come on the interior. The seats can be folded up here. There we go. It's also a nice sound when you fold that back. By the way, the door closing
sounds here. Ah, that's nice for the rear door, front door. Yeah, so good door closing sounds. And when you have the M Sport package, you also get these colors here on the key fob. High gloss black. There we go. Fire Red, it says here, metallic. And the door handles. Integrated in a flush way but then they fold out so haptic feedback. And then, inside of the doors here,
this is somewhat soft touch also, nice structure here, a little bit softer as well. However, here, inside door pockets, this is not covered with felt or fabric or something. They already gave them feedback, they need to do that, and, well, they do listen to feedback, so I hope they change it at some point. Here, there's a carbon fiber
decor element, option. As well as the option here for the Bowers & Wilkins sound system. Then, this is the M steering wheel. It looks sporty,
nice contrast stitches. The only downside is this is not available with animal-free material, which is now even superior in the quality and the features, but that's not possible in the M Sportpack. However, these seats here, these are the sport seats, and this is here a high-grade leatherette called Veganza in the middle part, and then you also have it in the lower part, and look at that, how plush it is, how soft it is. It has - this is the manual, by the way,
here in the lower part. So, it has great comfort. Some Alcantara applications here, by the way. They shine through with the M colors. And next to this sports seat, you would also have a comfort seat, which is even more comfortable. And see, as it
says in the name, and I've tested them before in the sedan, the comfort seats are better. They can also be equipped here with the... M60, that's possible. So, my choice would always be pick the
comfort seat, and then you can also get a package, for example, with active cooling, and this is also possible here with the sports seat. So, both is possible. Both seats are nice, but the comfort seat, even a notch better, so I would advise you to go for that one. Then here,
headroom with 189cm, 6 foot 2, still some left, although this one is the one with the panoramic roof, However, it cannot be opened. It's the one that, you see, it goes all the way, but when it's really, really hot, you can also apply this shade right there. It takes a while, but it's also really long, goes all the way across the vehicle. So, that's good that you can at least really close and don't have to do something like, hey, we apply a special foil or something. So, and then, open the door for Lea, the check-in. Ah, there we go. Come around for some cockpit action. Here we go.
This in here, also soft touch on the dashboard, then we have more carbon fiber decor element. That's also pretty fancy. This light bar here is something special. However, you see, it's this
split here in the BMW 7 Series, and they are also, you know, somewhat related, of course, these two vehicles. Here, the light bar goes through, basically, like here, and this is on the same level. Here, it's actually not, and when I apply some more color here, like a nice Thomas Blue, then you can also see that better right here.
So, it's nice ambient lighting. I love that, but just design-wise, it needs to be connected, doesn't it? That's pretty cool, by the way, also when you hit the turning indicators here, it also flashes on the interior, then you can also see that even better. So, that's pretty neat, isn't it? Other than that, the cockpit is quite clean and also spacious, great comfort of the seats as I said. The climate unit is always here in the lower part, so you don't have separate climate knobs or something, at least it always stays there. And also when you
press the seat button there, you can activate the seat cooling, seat heating, and also the steering wheel heating. You can also talk to the vehicle to activate that. Yes, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of that. Maybe you are. I rather have
like straight porpoise controls to do that in a very easy way. When you start up the vehicle, then you also see this welcome chime. You also see then more of the digital instruments. Steering wheel up and down, in and out, easy way. For EU users here: Germany, UK, and so on, it's very important when you press and hold the set button, there you deactivate this warning speed limit chime when you just exceed one kilometer an hour. So that's easy, and there's also an optional head-up display available, very well visible, you can see that, and also can easily adjust the height. There is
sometimes an overload in this infotainment system as for the features you learn a little bit, by the way, for example, displays, head-up display, height, there you can, you know, change the height of the display. Other than that, most of the time you'll do Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, of course, to mirror your smartphone. And, to have the map in the instrument cluster that works, Apple CarPlay, Apple Maps, and with Android Auto and Google Maps, only these combinations work, actually. By the way, if you want to change the tailgate height, it's not possible directly at the tailgate. You have to do it here from the inside and then here change the opening height. I feel with other
manufacturers that's easier where just press the button there when it stops. So, but here, BMW says inside. Interior operation. Middle console, soft touch here also for your elbow, that's nice. Split opening, 12-volt power supply. High gloss
black here, not my favorite. Then, you can also get this crystalline turning pressing knob there. You can still control also here something here. You can see the sender, the Apple CarPlay. No, I don't want to send a message. So, this then, ah, because I clicked on WhatsApp in CarPlay.
Interesting that you can directly access the individual apps in CarPlay. I'm not sure what is the reason of that. But, yeah, this is the CarPlay integration that you can also see how that works. This is very cool, isn't it? In the lower part, on the right side, it's just for storage, no inductive charging. Just the left part here,
this is for inductive charging, and it also has a cooling hole that the phone doesn't overheat. Finally, it was a big problem in the previous generation 5 Series. And the cupholders also adaptive, illuminated, and two USB-C charger if you want to charge with the cable. The shifting lever is integrated here, flatly, so there's a, yeah, nice clean solution, so to speak. It doesn't give you that sporty BMW feeling where you have like really something like here. But then again, it also cleans it up. So I would
say this is indeed something pro and con I would say. Maybe we put the Lea's seat here a little bit more forward. And let us see what's going on in the rear. This one and second here also manual
then for the passenger. Glove box. There is a separate button right here. See here. Um. It's actually rather tiny, but at least it glides down in a smooth way. So, what do you think about the interior cockpit here? Tell me in the comments, guys. Then, let's switch to the rear seats. Let's see how much space we have left there. Of course, the wheelbase is increased. There we go, and there
are also these good, you know, recesses here, back part of the seat. The only thing, for my feet, I do touch the seat from below, so I would recommend to put the seat a little bit higher in the front, then you can slide your feet easier underneath it when you're driving with rear passengers, and yeah, it's also with this nice Vaganza material. BMW is leading as for animal skin alternatives at the moment from all manufacturers because it's...
They're doing in the full circle, animal friendly, 85% less CO2 output. And also the thing is if you pick between the materials without any ethical concerns. These are the better seats also for the comfort also the passive cooling is already better They do not get hot in summer and then for the front you can also get the active cooling. So this is really very well done. And here headroom with
189cm, 6'2", still some left. Also in the rear, that's fine. Then you can fold down this, adaptive cup holders. This is also a nice quality indeed. And this can also be folded separately as a ski hatch right there. Then here, a separate climate unit for the rear passengers, you can optionally also get seat heating for the rear, that looks actually quite fancy, Although it's not a real climate unit, just a screen again. I mean, these screens look cleaner, but then again, to control it, it's of course always pro and con. And
what about the middle seat, the fifth seat here? There we go. It's, of course, a little bit harder, but space-wise, it works. Just on the outside, you have more comfort. ISOFIX is on the outside seats here each. You fold this up, and then they
also stay in place like this, so you don't have something flying around or something. There we go. And do we have ISOFIX on the front? No, it doesn't look like that. And, by the way,
when you come here and look forward here now, I think the cockpit from the, you know, cleanness works very well. The steering wheel, by the way, if you want that animal-free one, it looks a little bit different from the surface, also feels different, but actually even better, I feel. Besides this ambient lighting that I feel it could go through, pretty cool cockpit nevertheless. And, yeah, the space they offer is still good. I mean, it still has a very long
hood even if it's an electric version. What about all the engines and stuff? The special electric version with most horsepower pulling twice here for the BMW and another hood. There we go. Yes, no frunk, but then you have this, yeah, no frunky, frunky, frunky. Here, this carbon fiber style decor element, huge engine cover for that. Well, if you cannot say engine here. But the facts are
actually quite cool. Less than four seconds in the acceleration figure to 100 kilometers an hour or 60 miles an hour for this all-wheel-drive electric version, one electric motor in the front, one in the rear. Around 600 horsepower then, so that's pretty massive. You can also get a rear-wheel drive EV version, so that is then a little bit more efficient, and then, of course, you also have 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol and diesel, 3.0-litre 6-cylinder petrol and diesel. The only catch is that in Europe, we do not get
the stronger pure petrol engines, so there's a stronger 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine and a strong 3.0-litre 6-cylinder petrol engine, that is not for the EU market and also then obviously not for the Touring here. I know that all our friends from the US, they always request to also have the Touring there, but so far, they have not answered that. Yeah, but we still keep pushing BMW for that
maybe at some point again. I don't know. The US market is, of course, big with SUVs. They're all built in Spartanburg in the US in the big plant there from all the big SUVs. Then plug-in hybrids
also interesting. 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and also 3.0-liter 6-cylinder plug-in hybrids. The latter one, 3.0-liter 6-cylinder plug-in hybrid would
be probably then the best engine, the coolest engine to go for on the European market. Or, of course, if you want more like a fuel-saving and cost-reducing stuff, the 520d, like the base entry-level diesel will still be very strong here also on the German market, which is also one of the main markets. The 5 Series is sold more as a Touring, as a Kombi, as we say in Germany. Than
the sedan version, actually, and the US, however, is then this main sedan market once again. If you want to know more about the engine specs, we have it in the pinned comment or the video description with the acceleration figures, with the description of how the engines are called and so on and so on. Important, of course, with the EV. 81 kilowatt-hours net is the battery capacity. That is not that
large. For this size of a vehicle, I would have expected something 100 kilowatt-hours or something. Then again, you always have to look at efficiency. So, in our test so far, we have tested the rear-wheel-drive version and the all-wheel-drive version of the sedan. There, we could score some 17 kilowatt-hours on 100 kilometers, 19 kilowatt-hours on 100 kilometers for the stronger version. So, around 3 miles per kilowatt hour, and that would mean something under the, like, conditions, winter or summer, how we drive between 400 and 500 kilometers, between 250 and 300 miles of the electric range.
It should be more, honestly. It should really be more, and that is because the battery is just too small, honestly. For this car, you also want to use it on the long haul. And charging for the EV next to the 11-kilowatt AC, later 22-kilowatt AC, also 205-kilowatt DC, that means then 10% to 80% state of charge in around 30 minutes. Today, we drive it again and also do some more Autobahn testing here in Germany for you and then see more about the efficiency today. I would say, let's go! Sport mode. Launch control. Did you feel
that? And I think you can literally feel it on camera. Like, when you do the launch control, the car is literally shaking. I mean, they do that on purpose. It's not needed. They do that just because it's fun. Like, the car is shaking, and you have this electric sound buildup, and yeah. And yeah, I mean, the official figure is four seconds, but that felt even quicker. We have to check the time code below. Lea was obviously
impressed. The Lea-Meter went up the scale for this one. Wow! Yeah, pretty interesting. Why not? It's actually also a good test here with a little bit of rain about the traction and also for the sound on the interior and so on. And yeah, I can already tell you so far that suspension here does a very, very good job. Wow! Adaptive suspension and also with the anti-roll control. That means it always stays upright and also rear axle air suspension and... The rear-axle steering
as well, so especially then at lower speeds, the car feels more agile actually. It also has some kind of artificial feeling to it then, yes. At the same time, it massively reduces the turning circle, for example. This is amazing. Accelerating out of the corner, you still have the rear wheel bias for that one. It's amazing, really. And some lane changes. Car stays absolutely upright. Beautiful. Look at that. Good reaction from the steering wheel. See here, at the lower
degree angle, it's a little bit dead somewhat, so this could be a little bit more responsive, I feel, but then here to the outer area, it gets better. Overall, cool feeling for that. In the sport mode, everything is tuned even more to that sportiness. Wow, really impressed by that one. Yeah, it definitely feels like a machine,
sports machine, although, I mean, it's over five meters long, like almost 200 inches, but then like the responsiveness. Get ready. Just when I'm like here from 60 to 100. She had like the sunglasses on her head and the sunglasses fell apart. Wow, it's like, I mean, it's so instant that it kind of feels uncomfortable even as a driver, you know, it's like... AC, AC, we need some AC, definitely need some AC now. Now it's really hot in here, so we won't take all. So,
take... Wow. Okay. So, the performance is definitely there with the M60 version. There is also the normal all-wheel-drive version for the electric one. It's not that extreme, but in most situations, you will not use that. The suspension here, although we are in the sport mode, it's still very comfortable, I have to say. So, that works. Also, the setup, and you also don't
feel it that much that you have air suspension on the rear, which is more like for the self-leveling and so on, that you have something different on the front. It's not that it feels artificial due to that or something. And here, driving modes, this is not that good to control, I have to say, then, because you have to always, you can at least do it from here, then do here, personal, goes a little bit wider from the seats here, but see if you're, She has to take them off now, off her head. Or completely on, like real on. Yeah, she had like this, you know, and then they were flying off her head always. It is a very
expensive vehicle. Yes, we get to price at the end of the review. But the thing is, if you compare it to less expensive ones, this driving comfort from the suspension, this is definitely something that you still get here with a more expensive vehicle. Let's get onto the motorway. Let's also put in the sport mode right here once again, and also the bolsters go a little bit closer. There we go. Yeah, here also this active chime is on. You
can also deactivate. That's how maybe hope for some unlimited Autobahn experience right here. Look at that. Now we can drive even faster. And yeah, that was the acceleration onto the Autobahn.
Super quick. Wow. And the Lea-Meter still reacts. And here now at 140 kilometers an hour, like more than 80 miles an hour, still super silent in here. So that is the crucial difference to other maybe non-premium products. And we have to say also the Tesla Model 3 has been catching up there. They are also, the noise insulation in the
facelift is also way improved, definitely have to say that as well. But really many other vehicles we test are not that silent at high speeds, you know. Look at that. There's still something coming in 190, so like 120 miles an hour. And I mean,
I don't even have to raise my voice in here. Wow. So then the question is like, is there anything left for the BMW 7 Series? Honestly, when you get the comfort seats for the i5 here, then you even have cooled seats with the Veganza. That is even not available in the i7. Yeah, I have to say then,
if you go for the comfort seats, the only thing the 7 Series then still offers is more space in the rear. Other than that, oh, look at that. It's also great animation now. Lea's very diligent with that. So, when there's a traffic jam ahead,
she's basically like the hazard lights assistant. It's maybe a good idea for a manufacturer, like a hazard light assistant. I have my personal one, so I'm really glad to have her. Not only for that, of course. Here, by the way,
when you hammer in the turning indicator, that's a lot of fun. So like the feedback you get, the physical feedback you get, and also the acoustic feedback. It's really nice. Love that. So that actually encourages you to use the turning indicator. You know, there's this meme out there always saying that BMW drivers don't use turning indicators. I'm not sure if it's true or not. You tell me. But this definitely encourages you to do that. As for recuperation, lift your foot off
the throttle. Everything is more or less set here for rolling, you know, it's not like a one pedal driving thing by the standard default. You can change it a little bit, yes, for example here, if you go to the B mode, so pull the shifting lever, then you have a strong recuperation. If you do prefer that, but the whole philosophy of this one is rather that BMW says, hey, our existing customers, they know how combustion engine drives, and when they then go for an electric version, we want them to feel at home. So it's rather that you have maybe like a slight recuperation when getting off throttle, and that's basically it. So this is then the philosophy, and you can change it also, but the default setting when start up the vehicle will always then be that it's rather on the rolling side than on the strong recuperation side. Assistant systems was actually possible
here. A couple of things actually here. First of all, there is an automatic lane change possible, so I just set the turning indicator, so that works actually very well. Oh, I just have to tip it. Yeah, the other guy was running a little bit quicker now, so I had to do it manually. So yeah, you always have to pay attention. And then
what's even more possible, so that worked very well, here it says assist plus ready, so here and then the green symbol also in the steering wheel, and this is actually then, you can take your hands off the steering wheel and the car will not complain that you have done that. It's available in certain markets, for example in the US and also in Germany, and... Then you can see I can drive like this, still you are responsible for what's happening, so you always have to pay attention, you know, so it's not a level three system, it's a level two system, meaning if there's an accident, you are still responsible as a driver, not the car, so I always stay alert definitely, but here the system is working very well, you can relax and. A little bit more in a way, but
as I said, always pay attention to what's coming ahead. There, check traffic. See, now I just look into the side mirror and then the car is doing the lane change completely on its own. This is even one step further. Wow, and I can also do it
backwards again. I check here, and I look into the right mirror, and the car is by that realizing, hey, he is paying attention. This is still a level 2 system, and the highest level. It works up to
134 kilometers an hour. So, yeah, approximately up to 80 miles an hour. And you see here, hands-free. I'm still responsible. Level 2 system. But just
sufficient that I look into the side mirror, When the car there, check traffic. Then I look to the mirror. Now it says it's been cancelled because a driver's distraction. Yeah, sometimes some things have to be fulfilled. For example, I have to set the BMW internal GPS that this one has a route, this is required, so it does not work if you have Google Maps or Apple CarPlay or something running. Yeah, and then no one's supposed to come from behind and so on. And then it actually works.
So, there are limited situations where this is properly working, let's take it that way. But at least, especially when the motorway is a little bit free and not so much traffic and so on, you have this possibility. And I think it's an impressive system and it works quite well. But again, as I said, it's not for, let's say, all situations. So, about the final consumption here economy for the all-electric model, the M60 here today, and we did for the consumption test primarily motorway, German Autobahn at 120 kilometers an hour, so like 70 miles per hour, so realistic speed here also long-term and so on. Still something 21 kilowatt hours on 100 kilometers, so that's around once again about 3 miles per kilowatt hour at some 12, 13, 12 or 13 degrees Celsius, so not too warm, but not really freezing, not ideal for the battery, but it could be worse. Still, the efficiency should be better,
and considering that 81 kilowatt-hour net battery, this is then something 400 kilometers, 250 miles of real-world range, and that is not enough for a car at that size. It will only be better if you drive a little bit slower on the motorway, and if it's summertime with even like 20 degrees Celsius, like 72 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures, then you can also go more into a 500-kilometer or 300 miles range. Yeah, that would be okay, but not actually this result. Even in these conditions, it should actually be better. Then, about pricing,
it starts around 60,000 Euros, taking a German reference price, and then it goes up to something around 100,000 Euros or dollars for the M60 here, that M Performance model, and with all the bells and whistles, extra equipment, this vehicle as it stands right here, 125,000 Euros. Yeah, of course, the competitors are also very expensive, but I would not buy a vehicle for 125,000 euros which can drive 400 kilometers or 250 miles. Just not happening. Sorry about that. But in general, the car is awesome. I mean, it drives so great.
Seating-wise, especially if you go for the comfort seats, it has basically one of the best seats overall in the whole car market at this moment. As for the comfort, BMW is pushing forward the animal-free seating choices, even though the base steering wheel is available with that. So, I would, yes, I would recommend a 5 Series, but not in the all-electric trim at this moment, unless you say, hey, I don't care, I don't drive long mileage or something. Then, it's okay, actually. But, my favorite probably for Europe would be the 3-liter petrol engine in the plug-in hybrid spec because then you can get this 3.0
liter and in the US, I would probably go then for the pure petrol 3.0 liter engine as for the wish configuration. For the more economy style, probably like in Europe and Germany, a 520d like a small diesel to get the price lower and then maybe in the US, the 2.0 liter 4-cylinder petrol engine if you rather want to save some money because the car in general, it drives really great. The
interior build quality is nice. Besides, you know, with the door pockets and so on, that needs to be covered in felt. And as I said, comfort-wise and also into the whole sustainability aspect, BMW has made a lot of progress. I'm really happy with that. So, there are great things to say about this
car. It's just that the electric range is still something they need to work on. What do you think? Which version would you go for? Would you go for a sedan or Touring and would you go all-electric, plug-in, petrol, diesel? Tell me in the comments and see more of the content from the 5 Series, for example, also against the Mercedes E-Class.
2024-05-26 13:44
